Bodyshy Men: Why?

[Clrwtrdlbud71-fl]

Raises hand.

One reason why I put pics on here is body shyness/dysmorphia. Someone recommended it to me a long time ago to help overcome it, like an icebreaker. It's like learning to swim by jumping in the deep end.

How has it been working bud?

 

[Murphys]

Always wondered why some dudes are so uncomfortable with getting naked around other guys. Just wondering if someone can explain that, because it seems so weird to me

I don’t think there’s one answer for this.

As eluded to with the comments above, there are many reasons - past experiences with being nude, perceived societal pressures, a natural tendency to being shy, and so on.

 

[malakos]

Always wondered why some dudes are so uncomfortable with getting naked around other guys. Just wondering if someone can explain that, because it seems so weird to me

It's primarily just a matter of having a sense of my body being private to me (to varying extents, depending on which part), and so I experience an aversive reaction to my body being on display for others. But secondarily there is a dispositional factor of how comfortable I am with the person(s) I'm getting naked in front of. I'll surely be uncomfortable if it's in front of strangers, given I have no rapport with them.

 

[goldscorpguy]

I have travelled a bit over the years and often see how different societies view nakedness. Here in the UK we tend to be quite prudish about it. My gym locker room has signs everywhere about covering up, especially in saunas and steam rooms. Mainland Western Europe tends, in general, to be much more laid back about it. Personally, I like being naked and being in the presence of like-minded people. It gives me a sense of freedom and awareness.

 

[chrisrobin]

Mostly stems in my opinion as to firstly how an individual has been raised and secondly the rise of social media and idealised body image

Growing up I did my share of skinny dipping and so was used to seeing naked bodies. Once I hit puberty it wants a thing and my early skinny dipping experiences stood me in good stead when I went to an all male swimming group ranging from 18, me to 80. Not only was it a good experience seeing naked bodies of various ages but sexually it taught me not to choose partners according to age - and some of the older guys I went with were very active.

 

[englad]

I think one of the biggest problems is that when you have a culture where it isn't common to be naked in non-sexual situations, that the main point of reference that many men have of what a male body "should" look like, is on underwear/swimwear adverts, locker rooms and in porn. In those sort of environments, you tend to see very fit and athletic bodies. Additionally, gay bars, magazines and pornography will often place similar body types on a pedestal. Those sorts of bodies are very difficult to achieve for many.

To be honest, I'm surprised at how little culture has been referenced in this thread. I've definitely seen quite a big difference between Germany and the UK on this one, I'm from the latter and live in the former. Non-sexual nudity is certainly more common here (the UK tends to be more reserved on this front, but probably still more relaxed than other countries), saunas are popular here and there are parts of parks that are FKK (Freie Körper Kultur - free body culture, literally) friendly as well. If you go out to the east, there's even more of a nudist tradition, because it was one of the only freedoms they had during the GDR dictatorship.

 

[Mike hung]

Partly due to upbringing I'd say, my brothers and myself were brought up in a very open family, my parents being naturist. Being naked in certain situations was normal for us so we didn't have inhibitions about our bodies, whether we were naked around guys or women it didn't/doesn't matter. A lot of people are brought up in a more mainstream or conservative way, religion may play a part, nakedness may even be frowned apon.
The way someone is brought up can impact their thoughts and feelings for a long time and even make it difficult for them to feel comfortable doing something even when they feel they want to change.

 

[HorseHung40's]

Some men were raised in puritanical homes, believing that change rooms were full of "evil homosexual predators", while others were taught that nudity is shame. Others, still, are just fat, and, are ashamed that they look the way they do..... until they pass the next drive-thru, and, decide to devour a 1,500 calorie snack before dinner.

 

[HorseHung40's]

The first point I can agree with: religion has installed a lot of neuroses we are only now beginning to deal with.

On the second point: I'm not so sure I can agree with. There are undoubtedly those with poor eating habits, but many people cannot help having extra weight due to metabolic and glandular problems, or underlying medical conditions. Many of those people have extreme difficulty in losing weight.

The title of the thread asks "why". I understand that there can be many causes of obesity; however, the thread ask the reason why men are body shy. I cited obesity as one of those reasons.

 

[18wheeler]

Having a small penis makes it’s very difficult for me.

 

[Hakan1]

Nobody sees normal average bodies anymore.

very true

 

[oook]

I was very shy and I used to ask the opposite: why is it ok to be naked around other people? When I was a kid I learned that my body is private and we don't just show it to anyone. It's also embarrassing to be seen naked. So I just didn't get it why in the male toilets there are urinals and in the locker room it is ok to be naked with other guys. I was told that every guy has the same thing so no one would pay attention to my body. But the idea that some guys (friends or strangers) could see me naked just made me very shy and nervous. I think that has something to do with upbringing, school, and culture though.